Process of hydrogenating oils or fats.



WILLIAM D. RICHARDSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SWIFT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

' raocns's or nxnnoennnrme oILs on FATS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. RICHARD- soN, a citizen of the United States of America, and ,a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Im rovements in Processes of Hydrogenating 6 which the following is a, specification.

The objectof this invention is to 'rovide an improved method of hydrogenating oils or fats to harden or solidify them, wherein such oils or fats are treated by hydrogen in ,the presence ofhighly -reactive electrically disintegrated catalytic metal to roducetan absorption of such hydrogen. 7 is accomplished by the following desc'ri ed process: v v Y I first put in a suitable container a quantity of a liquid which is a fat solvent, which maybe ether or other suitable oil or fat solvent. Two pieces of a suitable-metal are then submerged in this-material and connected with a suitable device for supplying an electric current through said pieces, These pieces serve as. electrodes, being suitably spaced apart and provided with sufiicient current to produce an electric arc across the gap between them, and to cause part of the metal of said electrodes todisintegrate and become difiused in finely divided form or in colloidal solution orsuspension in the said fat solvent forming What is usually termed.

an organosol, The electrodes suitable for this purpose may be nickel, copper, platinum, palladium, iron, or their alloys, or other metals or alloys. These electrodes may be conveniently used in the form of rods and the electric current may be operated by a hand feed or automatic arc lamp mechanism in which the rods are clamped. The rods may be entirely or partly submerged in the fat solvent. The electric current is operated preferably at a voltage of from 40 to 150 and is preferably a direct current. The are is allowed to continue until the desired amount of disintegrated or finely divided metal has been produced in the fat solvent. The metal and fat solvent are then separated, as may be done by settling, straining or filtering, or heating the mass until the fat solvent or the greater part thereof, has evapspecification of Letters Patent.

ils or Fats, of

' his ob'ect Patented Aug. 24., 1915.

Application filed November 11, 1912. Serial No. 780,747.

nated, in the proportion of about 1 to 3 per cent. of the metal to the mixture, by weight. More or less may be used if desired. The m1x1n g is done-while hydrogen gas or gas containing hydrogen is introduced into the mixture, and the hydrogenating treatment is preferably done under heat and pressure.

When operating under about 40 pounds pressure and with a temperature of about 160. degrees 6., the process of hardening or solidifying of the oil or fat may be completed in from one to eight hours, depending upon the percentage of the finely divided metal used, the kind of fat or oil being hardened, the rapidity of agitation, etc., and upon the degree of hardness desired.

After the hydrogenation of the oil or fat I I has been accomplished the finely divided metal may be removed from the mass, as by straining, or in some cases it may be permitted to remain in the oil or fat.

Cross reference is hereby made to my coending applications, Serial Nos. 730,745;

30,746; 730,748 and 730,749 in which are described and claimed certain features of invention relating tocatalyzers and fat hydrogenating processes more or less disclosed but not fully claimed herein.

Iclaimz- 1. The process of hydrogenating oil or fat which comprises admixing such oilor fat with electrically disintegrated catalytic metal produced in an organic liquid and treating the admixture with hydrogen to produce an absorption of such hydrogen.

2. The process of hydrogenating oil or fat which comprises admixing such oil or fat with electrically disintegrated catalytic metal produced in an organic liquid, treating the admixture with hydrogen to produce an absorption of such hydrogen and then removing treating the admixture with hydrogen to removing the disintegrated nickel froin the an absorption of such hydrogen and then ARTHUR CORBISHLEY.

produce an absorption of such'hydro en. oil or fat so treated. 10 4. The process of hydrogenating oi or fat Signed at Chicago this 25 day of October,

which comprises admixing such oil or fat 1912.

5 with electrically disintegrated catalytic WILLIAM D. RICHARDSON.

nickel produced in an organic liquid, treat- Witnesses: ing the admixture with hydrogen to produce I. O. BEATTY, 

